


Sanctuary

by fractalbright



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Relationship, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, POV Second Person, Post canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-02
Updated: 2013-02-02
Packaged: 2017-11-27 21:09:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/666514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fractalbright/pseuds/fractalbright
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When nightmares threaten to swallow him whole, he trusts Mai to pull him back to the surface.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sanctuary

"Father, please…"

You're gently pulled out of sleep by the sound that gradually resonates louder in your ears as the cries increase in volume. At first, you think you're dreaming. The desperate plea is so soft; you don't even realize it's coming from the body next to you until the blankets are forcibly pulled off you.

You hate the cold, you think blearily, more than a little irritated. Rubbing your eyes, you prepare yourself to yank the blankets off your idiot husband. Who does he think he is, anyway? He can generate his own damn heat.

You're agitated as you turn over, finding Zuko's far proximity odd. Your husband is a closet snuggler, what is he doing all the way over there? You don't usually have to worry about petty things like being warm in the _Fire Nation Palace,_ sharing your bed with a _firebender_ , of all people.

Your eyes eventually adjust to the dark room and you see your husband curled up in fetal position at the end of the bed, whimpering and looking nothing like the twenty-year-old Fire Lord he is supposed to be. Immediately, you realize what's occurring.

Oh. _Oh._

It's not as if you're unaccustomed to the occasional nightmares that plague your husband. After all, it's not like you can blame him.

Tense with concern, you crawl over and gently rouse him, whispering his name. "I am your loyal son…" He mumbles, trailing off. He still manages to sound as terrified as he did when he was thirteen.

You shudder as the memory is brought to the forefront of your mind, biting your lip as you remember the pain it brings. Zuko wasn't the only one scarred on the day he received his scar. You will never forget his screams, begging for forgiveness, then later, mercy. You will never forget the scent of burning flesh and charred skin. Mostly, you'll never forget the cold ruthlessness that overcame Ozai when he was attacking his only son…

Zuko pulls the blanket closer to his person, as if shielding himself from his father's onslaught. He flinches away from your touch; this stings you, slightly. He's about to fall off the bed, you note absently.

"Zuko, wake up," you coax. He whimpers; you imagine he's screaming in his mind.

After a few more gentle attempts, you become rougher with your motions, desperately trying to wake him. You're exasperated. You can't handle watching your husband suffer any longer and he's just so damn stubborn sometimes. Growing anxious, you grasp his shoulder roughly, your fingers leaving pale imprints in his pale skin.

"Zuko!" You yell, your voice filling the crevices of the large room, muffled by the tapestries that adorn the walls.

Success, you think as he jerks out of slumber and sits straight up on the bed.

His eyes move wildly as he reaches for the burnt side of his face, sighing in relief when he feels the coarse skin. He seeks solace in old scar tissue rather than melted flesh and exposed bone. He takes in a shuddering breath, violently turning his body toward you, seemingly prepared to fight. It's not the first time he's attacked you while trapped in the past.

Bracing yourself to throw your husband's body off you, you catch his eye, only to tense further when he freezes, a lizard-snake entranced by a charmer. You watch patiently as his pupils dilate, turning the pure gold irises an unsettling black. You're reminded of the solar eclipses from your astronomy textbooks.

Seconds turns to minutes and you don't dare move. A violent shudder wracks his body as his face crumples in agony.

_There you are._

He sees you. His eyes clear and he's pulled out of the past.

Zuko breaks down all at once.

"Mai," he says, his voice breaking on your name.

You're already gathering him in your arms as he reaches toward you with tears streaking down his face. His arms are tight around you, his face buried in your shoulder as he tries and fails to suppress his sobs.

The position is awkward on your bent legs, but you can't bring yourself to say anything. Instead, you pull him down to the bed, his weight pressing down on you.

He's heavy and you're breathless in all the wrong ways, but you don't care. You'll be his sanctuary, protecting him from his mind.

Besides, he'll roll over beside you sooner or later, you reason.

"Mai…" he says again, only marginally calmer this time. You notice, you always notice.

You say nothing; words aren't necessary. You convey everything you need to by holding him closer with your lips pressed to his neck.


End file.
